


The Shield Maiden of Rohan

by ElvaWrathbringer



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Middle Earth History, Edoras, F/M, Fantasy, Middle Earth, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Rohan, Romance, Shieldmaidens, Slow Romance, Strong Female Characters, The Lord of the Rings References, Third Age, War of the Ring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25532206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElvaWrathbringer/pseuds/ElvaWrathbringer
Summary: The tale of Théodred, son of Théoden, heir to the throne of Rohan, and Eorys, daughter of Hathain, shield maiden of Rohan, and the parts they played in the War of the Ring.
Relationships: Theodred/OC
Kudos: 5





	1. The Fords of Isen

In the year 3019 of the Third Age, Théoden, son of Thengel, ruled as king over the lands of Rohan from the River Isen in the west to the Entwash in the East, and Théodred his son was his heir. Tall and stern were the men of Rohan with hair as golden as the grass of their lands and spirits as wild and fierce as their steeds. But in this year, a darkness lay over Middle Earth, for the shadow of Sauron was growing in the east, and his armies threatened all free peoples. Rohan was beset on all sides. Dark creatures lurked under the eves of the Fangorn Forest, and the servants of Sauron ever harrowed the eastern borders. At the hand of Saruman, the white wizard who resided in Isengard in the west, a blindness had come over Théoden King, orchestrated by Grima Wormtongue his right hand, though none yet know of this treachery. Théodred and his cousin Eomer, with whom he shared deep affection, were ever vigilant of the assault on their lands. But the strength of Rohan waned with its king, and its protection lay heavily on the shoulders of his heir.

Great was the peril then when Théodred, son of Théoden, set out from Edoras with a host of riders, making haste to the Fords of Isen in the west where there were rumors of a dark threat. While Théodred’s right hand, Grimbold, forded the river with the majority of their forces, Théodred remained on the river edge to strengthen the defenses there and guard the fords should the line fail. Unbeknownst to them, Saruman had sent a great host of orcs with orders to kill him, weakening Rohan beyond repair. In the dead of night, a host of orcs came upon them, separating Théodred from the main body of his forces and pushing Grimbold back. 

These orcs were greater in stature than any they had faced before, and while mighty in skill as rider and swordsmen, Théodred was overwhelmed and thrown from his horse into the river. He took a grievous wound in his side and was weakened beyond the strength to hold his sword. But as the killing blow fell, a dark figure, hooded and cloaked, emerged from the night and lifted a weapon in his defense, standing over him until the orcs had been routed. He was borne out of the river, and his wounds tended. He thought Grimbold had returned, for a great host of riders lined the river, but when his protector’s hood was cast back, he saw before him a woman of such great beauty that he thought her to be an elven queen of old. A darkness took him and when he awoke in the arms of Eomer some time later, she was nowhere in sight. He called for her, asking for the lady of the river, but all who heard him believed it to be a madness from his wound, for a fever had come upon him.

While he lay in sleep, Grimbold had broken through the line of orcs and pushed them back though the riders took heavy losses. He rushed to the river, fearing the worst, but he found Théodred alive and his wounds tended though all who had stood with him were slain. Grimbold sent out his fastest riders to find Eomer who had ridden to the east, telling him of all that had transpired. Eomer grieved when he heard Théodred had fallen and made haste to the Fords of Isen, riding through the night. He took up Théodred and bore him back to Meduseld, the Great Hall of Edoras where the king resided, while Grimbold remained to defend the borders with what men he had left.

Théodred lingered long in darkness. His wound was deep and the will of Saruman lay against him, but the spirits of the Men of Rohan are not easily broken. His wound began to mend, and he awoke. Great was his distress when he found that Eomer had been banished from the kingdom at his father’s command. Despite Théodred’s grave injury, the king had not come to his bedside and only through long council with Eowyn, his cousin and sister to Eomer, did he learn all that had transpired while he lay in sleep. Grima, emboldened by Théodred’s weakness, had spoken out against Eomer, claiming that he had endangered the life of the heir and willingly sent him to his death while Eomer himself remained far from the danger. Without Théodred or Grimbold to speak out against these lies, a deep hatred poisoned the minds of the people. They loved the king and his heir, and Eomer was driven from Edoras. 

Théodred saw then Grima’s treachery, but he was too weak to leave his bed, and Eowyn pleaded with him to remain at rest. She feared what would befall if he rose against Grima while he was yet weakened. The men loyal to him had been driven out of the city with Eomer, and she was wary of those who filled the hall now, fearing they had little honor or devotion to the lord of horses. When Théodred saw her fear, he relented, though he sat long in thought, pondering the dangers before him, and feeling little more than a prisoner within his own hold, a dark mood came over him. But Eowyn came often to his side to tend his wound, and he gained joy from her visits. He told her of his rescuer, though he also now wondered if it had only been a dream, but Eowyn did not mock him. She listened with awe, claiming that the lady of the river must have been a Shield Maiden of old come to protect him and with him, the fate of all the free peoples of Rohan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note on ages:  
> Théodred is 36 years old, Eomer is 28, Eowyn is 25, and Eorys is 26. The average lifespan within Rohan is 80 years old.


	2. The Coming of Gandalf

It became known to Théodred that Gandalf, the gray wizard, had been seen within the city but that Grima was working against him to prevent him from holding an audience with the king. Gandalf had come to Edoras to council with the King before and had spoken with Théodred when he was younger. Théodred hoped that kinship remained between them. Through Eowyn, he found a few men still loyal to him and called them to his room.

"If ever I have needed you to trust me, it is now. One walks among us who is called an enemy of our lands, but I believe him to be the only hope left for our King. Grima has stayed his hand and refused whatever council he might bring. I would cut the head from the snake myself if I had the strength. Instead, we must rely on secrecy and trust in Gandalf. Bring him to me now with all haste, but let none loyal to Grima know of his presence."

The men left to do his bidding, and Théodred tried to stand. He was loathe to show weakness in front of his allies, but his wound pained him and he fell back onto the edge of the bed. There he sat, head bent in pain, until Gandalf was brought to his room. Théodred looked up as he entered and wondered. With him came an elf, a dwarf, and a man of great stature and dark brow, clearly a stranger to the lands of Rohan. Gandalf leaned on his staff, gazing down at Théodred.

"It is good to see you, King's son. When the news of the battle at the fords reached us, I feared the worst."

"You are not the only one keeping strange companions, Gandalf Greyhame, though mine may be nothing more than a fevered dream. I wish to hear what has brought this company to our lands, but there is no time. I fear for my father."

"As well you should," Gandalf sighed. "The treachery of Saruman runs deep, and his intent is fixed on your lands."

"So he is behind this as I feared." Théodred put his head in his hands. "Darkness closes in on all sides, and our strength grows thin. I know not what to trust when even the soundness of my sword arm has left me."

"I was here not long ago while you fought across the plains and warned your father of Saruman's intentions, though I see now that message was never conveyed to you and it nearly ended in disaster. If you would trust me, Théodred, King's son, I will deliver your father to you."

Théodred watched him in silence until finally, he spoke.

"I have heard dark rumors of you and your dealings, alliances with elven sorceresses and creatures of darkness, but Grima fears you, and I know his heart to be wretched. We must put our hope in you again, and I pray it is not misplaced."

Clasping Gandalf's hand, Théodred ordered his men to clear the way to the hall where the King sat brooding and taken by darkness. So Gandalf and his companions came before Theoden without Grima's knowledge. When Grima learned of this he was enraged and sent his men to apprehend the travelers, but the men loyal to Théodred stood against them, shoulder to shoulder with the wizard's strange companions, so that Gandalf might speak with the King. Théodred knew none of this and sat in his room anxiously awaiting news of their audience. When none came, he resolved to go himself to the hall despite his weakness and pain, and he was about to struggle to his feet when the door flew open and there stood his father, the blindness lifted from his eyes. Théodred was relieved and overjoyed for the darkness that had bowed and bent his body was gone, and his father stood before him proud and strong again, as a great warrior. Though he could not stand, he pressed his hand to his heart and bowed.

"My king."

Theoden fell to his knees next to Théodred's bedside and taking his son's face in his hands, pulled Théodred's forehead to his own.

"My son, pride of my heart, long have I lingered in shadow, and too late have I been pulled from its grasp. I find it was my blindness that nearly sent you to your death."

"I was saved, though I know not whether it was some specter or a magic of the elves that pulled me from the river. But do not blame yourself, Father. This was the work of Saruman and his twisted servant, Grima."

Theoden arose, his face fierce with anger and strode from the room. Eowyn came to Théodred later when the sun had gone down, her face pale, and told him of all that had passed, of the strength of Gandalf, now the White, in casting out the darkness of Saruman and the banishment of Grima from the city.

"It was as if the clouds themselves parted at his command, and the sun could reach the ground again. I had forgotten what such warmth felt like."

Théodred took her cheek in his palm.

"Days of warmth lie ahead of us, I swear it."

Eowyn came often to his bedside, her eyes shining, and told him of the strange companions that had accompanied Gandalf: Legolas, the fair elf from the northern forests, Gimli, the dwarf from the dark mountains, and Aragorn, lord among men, who she spoke of with such frequency that Théodred had to work to hide his laughter. He also learned that Eomer and his men still rode across the plains, thwarting the devices of the enemy and his heart was glad, for the fate of Rohan finally seemed more secure.


	3. Riders from the North

The hope kindled at the King’s awakening glimmered faintly against the darkness pressing upon their lands. News from the Fords of Isen was ill, and the threat of Saruman was greatening. Théoden spent long hours in council with Gandalf and Aragorn, and with Elfhelm, who had been at the Fords of Isen with Grimbold and had recently ridden back to Edoras with tidings, but Théodred was still absent. While he had gained the strength to rise from his bed, he struggled even to walk without an arm to lean on. 

At dawn on the fifth day after the King had retaken his place, out of the west and north came a great host, two hundred riders strong, and at their head rode a captain on a white horse. The people of Edoras wondered if Eomer had returned, but the figure who led them was hooded and cloaked. While the bulk of the force remained outside the city gates, the captain, flanked by a small group of men, ascended the steps of Meduseld and entering the hall where Théoden sat upon his throne, called out in a clear voice, “My lord, the free riders of the Mark have come to serve you.”

Théoden arose from his throne to greet them.

“Unexpected and unwatched for is your coming. I was not aware of free riders on my lands that were not already among my hosts, but your arrival is welcome, nonetheless. Cast aside your cloak so I may see with whom I am speaking.”  


The captain pushed back the dark hood, and the men of Edoras who had gathered in the hall, filled with curiosity at this strange arrival, stood in shock. Before them was a woman clad in the mail armor of a rider, golden hair streaming over her shoulders and a sword on her hip.

“I am Eorys,” she said. “Daughter of Hathain, keeper of the northern lands.”

“And Eorys, daughter of Hathain,” Théoden replied. “What of these men? Where is their captain?”

She drew herself up in pride and anger.

“I am their captain; they need no other. My father is dead, and all that was his is left in my keeping.”

At the King’s command, she told how all of this had come to pass. Far in the north, the lands grew wild, and as the strength of Edoras waned, the Rohirrim passed there little and their defense was left in the hands of the men who resided there. Chief among them was Hathain who strengthened his village with what men he could and defended the surrounding plains, becoming known to those peoples as the Keeper of the Northern Lands. When a band of orcs and Wild Men gathered in the eves of Fangorn and descended upon the plains, Hathain gathered his riders and rode out to face them, but a second band fell upon the village while the men were gone and only a small host remained to defend it. Eorys, who dwelt there also, saw their defenses failing and taking up the sword of a fallen rider, joined the men of the village in battle. They held it through the night, though at the cost of many innocent lives.  


Hathain’s forces were routed by the orcs, and after he fell, they fled back to the village to set up a defense there. When they found their home in flames and their kin lying dead, they despaired. The orcs were chasing them across the plains and would soon be upon them. But Eorys, clad only in the woven dress of a village maiden, leapt upon her father’s horse and lifting her sword, called out to her men, her kin. The light of dawn rose behind her, and the point of her blade shone like a star. At the sight of her, courage filled their hearts. They rallied to her cry, and she led a charge against the orcs assailing them. The riders drove against them with such ferocity and rage, for men who have lost everything face death without fear, that the host of orcs scattered across the plains.

When the battle ended, Eorys spoke her claim as Hathain’s heir, as their captain, and no man raised his voice against her. They left behind their village and set out across the plains to route the orcs who wandered there, gathering riders as they went until they became a great host. But Eorys kept herself hooded and cloaked, discovering that men were more willing to serve a man small of stature than a woman, and only the kin who stood with her now in Meduseld were privy to her truth. For many years they kept safe the northern lands, though none knew it was she who manned them. A white horse seen from afar was credited to the heir or his cousin, and the fear of the enemy grew as they found themselves continually routed by unknown forces. 

When she had finished her tale, Théoden considered her for a moment in silence before smiling.

“Brave indeed are the women of Rohan. I relieve you of this burden. These men who have accompanied you shall be welcomed into my Rohirrim, and you are free to return to what home you wish.”

“These riders are my kin!” she cried. “They are no burden, and if their place is within your host, then I shall be among them.”

To her fury, the men of the hold laughed. She shook with anger though she held her tongue.

“Go home, my lady,” Théoden said gently. “There is no place in my host for maidens.”

Her men started forward in protest, but she raised a hand.

“If this is the command of the King of Rohan, then we shall obey.”

But her heart seethed within her at the shame he had brought upon her. Her pride was great, and she loathed being mocked. She bowed to Théoden, and stripped of her place, took her leave from the hall, vowing in her heart never to step foot within Meduseld again.


	4. A Trick of the Light

Théodred, who with the aid of his cousin Eowyn had come out into the sun, was standing upon the steps of Meduseld and saw Eorys as she came out of the hall. He drew back, amazed, for though she wore soiled armor and her face was dirty with battle and travel, he recognized her as the woman who had defended and knelt over him, tending his wounds on the banks of the ford.

“You!” He called out to her. “Surely you are not some trick of the light, but how can this be possible? I thought I dreamed you.”

“Perhaps it would have been better for us both if you had,” she said, turning her face away. Though she recognized him and was gladdened to see him well, the despair of her dismissal from Meduseld still ached within her heart.

Disturbed by her words and the grief in her eyes, Théodred urged her to tell her tale and what had brought her here before the King. When he learned of all that had transpired and saw her humiliation, he was filled with anger, and though she was unwilling, he took her again before Théoden who was assigning her men to his captains.

“Are we in the habit of rewarding our allies thusly, father? When I was cast down at the fords, this is the woman who aided me. Without the work of her hand, your line, the line of Kings, would have ended that day.”

Eorys stared at Théodred, astounded. She had recognized him as a lord among men but had not realized when she aided him that he was the heir.

“She is welcome to make her home here within the city if she wishes,” Théoden said. “What more would you have me do?”

“These are her men, brought together by her hand. On what grounds would you separate them? I have heard no part of her tale that warrants it.”

“This is folly,” Théoden hissed, leaning close to his son away from the listening ears of the men around them. “She is no leader.”

Théodred turned to the crowd of riders who had accompanied her into the hold. “And what say you? Who is your captain?”

“Eorys!” they cried.

She lifted her head in pride, meeting without fear or apology the gaze of the King. Théoden was still reluctant, but Théodred would not be moved and vowed to make her his captain if his king would not give what was owed. At last Théoden relented, and she was granted captaincy of her men only and no more. Though her men rejoiced, there was distrust among the onlookers and unrest among the King’s Eored. Never before had a woman ridden among the Rohirrim let alone led them into battle.

Eorys turned to her men and told them to go back through the city and rejoin the host outside the walls. There they would make camp until housing within Edoras had been arranged, but she would remain here within Meduseld to arrange for their keeping. They had travelled long across the plains. Their steeds were tired, and repairs were needed for their weapons and armor. 

Elfhelm, who was among the throngs of men watching, was outraged by Théodred’s vow to make her a captain and hurried to speak with him. “Is this what the captains of Rohan have come to mean, my lord, that their titles are handed out freely?”

“Peace Elfhelm,” Théodred said. “This is no title lightly given. It was she who bore me out of the river.”

“If that is true, then why did we find you alone and undefended on the banks of Isen? Look at her. She has hardly the strength to pull a grown man from the fords, let alone heavily armed and armored. The madness of your fever touches you still!”

Upon hearing this, fury swept over Eorys, not at the insults against her but at the treatment of her lord for whom she already felt a strong loyalty. She had been moved by his defense of her and held him in high esteem as a man of honor. Théodred and Elfhelm had ridden over the plains together for many years and an honest friendship had developed between them, but Eorys was ignorant of this. In anger, she stepped in front of Théodred.

“You dare insult the judgement of your lord? The peril against him was great, and while his life was secured when he was borne from the river, the threat of the orcs was not diminished, and we rode on to meet them in battle. Do not lay blame for his wound at my feet. Surely it was the weakness of your own arm that failed his defense that day, not mine.”

Elfhelm was enraged at her accusations and left the hall without another word. Théoden seeing this pulled his son aside to speak quietly to him. “I have done as you asked, but I beg you to reconsider. Much death and distress may be brought about by your wish to bring joy to a beautiful face.”

But Théodred refused his council. He believed she had earned the faith of her men and was secretly amused by her confrontation of Elfhelm and his resultant indignation. Thus Eorys, daughter of Hathain and now Captain of the Northern Eored, came with her men to reside at Edoras.


	5. The Truth of Men

Word came from the fords that Eomer had arrived there with his reinforcements but that any scouts who strayed beyond the river disappeared and he feared Saruman’s forces were gathering. The darkness of war seemed fast approaching. Theodred, who was able to walk alone now though slowly and with some pain, joined his father in council where also sat Aragorn and Gandalf with their companions, and Elfhelm. 

“The time is now,” Gandalf urged. “Saruman’s mind is bent on the destruction of the lords of men. He no doubt knows by the Worm’s tongue that the heir yet lives and his grip over the King has loosened. His wrath will be great and swift. All haste must be made to end his treachery. Already I fear his plans are underway, and we may be too late to thwart them. Rohan must go to war.”

“And if all should go ill and the line fail?” Theodred asked. The darkness of his defeat at the fords and the strength of the orcs he had faced weighed on him. “Our people will be left open to his wrath. We have underestimated him long enough, and we are blind to what forces he is amassing beyond the fords.”

Theoden considered this in silence until, arising, he spoke. “Rohan will go to war, but we will not leave our people. Theodred is right to fear for their safety. They must make all speed to the fortress of Helm’s Deep in the south and west. If the worst should come to pass, it is there that the Lords of Rohan will make their final stand.”

“Then make haste, Theoden King,” said Gandalf. “And lead your people to the mountains while your riders muster.”

“No. My heir yet lives. It is he that shall lead our people and an Eored ride with him. I shall march to war. Too long have I lingered in darkness, and if Saruman marches against us, then he shall face the wrath of the King. So shall it be. Send riders out to the far reaches; the lands must be emptied.”

At the King’s command, Elfhelm went out into the city, calling the captains and the swiftest riders to him. One by one, they were sent out across the plains to begin the evacuation until only Eorys remained.

“And me?” she called after Elfhelm as he turned back to Meduseld. “What would the King have me do?”

The words she had spoken in defense of Theodred still burned at Elfhelm. Turning to her, he said, “The king cares not what you do or where you go. The harvest is upon us. Go to the fields where the rest of the women of the city make their work, and find your place there.”

“Is that the order I am given then, mouth of the King?”

“Yes,” he answered, striding away from her. “Go and trouble the minds of men no longer.”

Her heart burning, Eorys went back through the city and called her men to her, taking them out to the fields so that when the King emerged from Meduseld, he saw a great host of men awork outside the city. 

“What madness is this?” he cried when he came out of Edoras with Elfhelm and Aragorn beside him to see an Eored, armed and armored, laboring at the harvest. “War is upon us, and I find my soldiers plowing fields with their swords!” Spying Eorys working among them, he called her to him. “Is this your doing? Speak!”

“I am merely following the orders I was given, my lord,” she said, eyes wide with innocence. “And are not any orders given me not also given to my men? I would not dare to question the words of my betters, those that speak with the authority of the king.”

Elfhelm’s face turned crimson when all eyes looked to him, for he knew he could not deny the truth of her words, and his hatred of her deepened. “This is not the order that I gave! She has twisted my words to suit her!”

Eorys drew herself up. “Then I pray next time you speak plainly, so your intentions may be made clear to all who hear them. But if it is not the wish of the king for his riders to labor in the fields, then I shall correct this grave error.” She turned to the fields and calling her men, led them back into the city. That night when the sun had gone down, she sat alone in the hall of Meduseld. None of the men there wished to speak with her save Theodred who saw her before the fire and came to sit by her side.

“Where are your kin?” he asked.

“I sent them to the tavern to repay them for their toils in the sun and their dirtied armor. I had need of their aid, though I fear it was not to their liking.”

“So I have heard. I believe you will find no great friendship with Elfhelm.”

“I grieve not for that loss,” she spat. “He has shown me no kindness since I arrived. Why should I return a favor he has not deigned to give?”

“No man likes to be made a fool and will fight what battles he must to preserve his dignity, even if in his heart he knows them to be wrong. Can you say you are any different?”

“I will not waste my breath soothing unreasonable men with kind words. They have none for me. Why should I coddle them if their prides are so weak that the truth offends them?”

Theodred was silent for a moment.

“I have found that the truths of men are as varied as their names and that the word spoken lightly may reach farther. A feather carried on the wind may travel a league, far further than a rock no matter how hard it is thrown.”

Eorys gave no response, but she took these words to heart. She esteemed him as a worthy leader and regretted if her actions reflected poorly on him, though she would not admit it. Looking upon him with the firelight glimmering on his fair hair and his stern face gazing into the flames, she saw him as if for the first time.


	6. The Wolves of Isengard

The peoples of Rohan emptied into the plains, leaving their villages behind as they began the slow journey to Helm’s Deep, and at dawn, Théodred departed from Edoras with Eowyn to lead them. A winding line of carts and men wound between the rolling hills with the heir at its head and Eorys beside him. Her Eored had been assigned to go with him and guard the people as they went. The King’s forces were amassing behind them and would be making all haste to the Fords of Isen to meet what dangers awaited there. 

Elfhelm, who was to ride with Théoden, had come to them before their departure and spoken with her men, raising his voice so she might hear. “It is for the sake of your leader than you are denied the chance to ride with the King to battle for the glory and defense of all Rohan.”

But Eorys remembered Théodred’s words and only said softly, “These men follow me out of the certainty of their hearts. If you do not doubt their valor, then do not doubt their faith in me,” and Elfhelm, having no response, departed subdued.

Eorys herself was not disturbed by her orders. She knew well the dangers of the plains and bent her thoughts to the defense of her people. She moved about the line, to the rear and along the sides to ensure an adequate guard was kept, but most often she rode beside Théodred in the front to watch for any dangers that lay before them.

After many hours in the saddle, his face grew pale, and he gripped the reins fiercely so that she guessed his wound pained him. When he was able, he dismounted and walked slowly, holding his horse as he went.

“Your horse,” she said, wishing to distract him from the pain. “What is his name?”

“Brego. After my forefather, the builder of the Great Hall within Edoras.”

“A worthy name. Surely he is the finest steed I have seen.”

He was a mighty horse with coat of deep gold and mane and tail as black as night. Théodred stroked his neck but said nothing, and they went on in silence. But Eowyn came to walk with them then and, still curious about all Théodred had told her of his rescuer, spoke at length with Eorys.

“How is it you came to be at the fords?” she inquired.

“We found signs of a band of orcs moving across the plains at great speed and tracked them to the southern eves of Fangorn where we slew them. But they were unlike any orcs I have seen. Tall, heavily armored, and showing no fear of the light of day. They seemed to be hastening East with all speed, and fearing what we might find there, we followed their path. As we neared the river, we heard the fray and found battle raging, and I saw a rider cast down into the waters.”

“A strange set of events indeed,” Théodred mused. “But all more reasonable than the elven maiden I thought I saw before me.”

Eorys laughed merrily. “I have been called many names by many men but never an elven maid. I am sure I possess neither the grace or beauty for such titles.”

Théodred smiled but said nothing.

For three days they followed the plains as the mountains grew steadily taller and the ground rockier beneath their feet. On the fourth day as the slopes of Thrihyrne loomed above them and Helm’s Deep could be seen faintly at its foot, a rider flew across the plains toward them, his horse flecked with foam.

“Wolves!” he cried. “The wolves of Isengard approach!”

Théodred mounted his horse with great effort and raised his hand to call for his men, but Eorys seized his reins.

“No, my lord! Your hand is yet weakened, and even a blow struck true may not reach its mark. I beg you to stay with your people. They will need you ere this war ends. Place your trust in me as you have before, and I shall not fail you.”

Though reluctantly, Théodred agreed and turned his horse to lead the people into the safety of the hills, looking back as he went.

“Split the Eored!” Eorys cried, springing upon her horse. “Haleth, Gamnere, with me! The rest of you, serve your lord!”

Like thunder, the two companies charged forward to meet the wolves of Isengard, their spears shining. The wolves were as heavily armored as the orcs upon their backs and harried horses with tooth and claw and the fear instilled at the scent of foul beasts, but Eorys would not yield, vowing they would not overtake Théodred. With her men, she routed their advances, keeping them at bay until the sun touched the horizon and she was assured that he was safe within the walls of the keep. They sent away their horses then and formed a tight circle upon the plains, shields and pikes raised against the assault of the wolves, assailing them with arrows and fire until dawn and their enemies departed. 

Théodred had arrived safely at the gates of Helm’s Deep with his people and immediately began the work of strengthening its defenses. The remainder of the Eored who had accompanied him were put in places of defense or to reinforcing gates and walls. But there was no sign of Eorys or her men until a white horse appeared at the gates as the sun set.

“She has fallen,” he thought, his heart sick within him. “Her body cast down upon the plains. I can only hope her men bear her back. I could not stand for her to be torn apart by those wretched creatures.”

He cursed himself for not following her into the fray. But on the next day as the sun peaked in the sky, he was called to the gates, and when they opened, Eorys strode in, a pike in her hand and her men behind her. 

“Our horses were scattered, and we could not find them. But I see now they had the wisdom to seek a warm stall.” She laughed merrily, for several horses like her own had appeared at the hold gates since the previous night. “All is well. We lost few, and the wolves of Isengard will not so lightly hunt the horses of Rohan again.”

Théodred could only wonder at the relief that filled his heart at her coming.


	7. A Black Shadow

For two days, Théodred saw to the strengthening of the defenses of Helm's Deep, repairing the walls and gathering what provisions they could within the deep caves under the fortress. On the third, he stood upon the walls with Eorys, gazing to the north where soon the forces of the King would be reaching the Fords of Isen and the darkness that awaited them there. But as they watched, a great cloud of dust grew on the horizon, drawing steadily closer.

"Is it the work of Saruman?" Eorys asked.

As the cloud neared, through it shone the glimmer of spears and the waving of the green banners of Rohan, and at the head of the host rode a rider with a golden helm.

"Open the gates!" Théodred cried. "The King approaches."

The full force of the King's host crossed the bridge over the deep trench around the fortress and amassed within the walls. Théodred rushed to speak with his father who had dismounted and was giving orders that the horses should be taken further into Helm's Deep and placed under guard while the rest of the men should assume positions of defense upon the walls and within the Hornburg, the mighty keep at its center.

"What strange path has led you here, father?" Théodred asked. "I see by your men that you have met with no battle, yet you retreat."

"The Fords have fallen," Théoden answered, passing into the Hornburg with Théodred and Eorys behind him. "On our second day, as we rode with all speed to the fords, a rider approached, worn and weary, bearing news that Eomer had taken half his forces north and east to secure the borders. That night, the orcs fell upon the fords and overwhelmed the men there. A host beyond all imagining is moving toward us even as we speak. At Gandalf's council, we flew here to the Helm."

"And where is he? I see him not among you!"

"He rode off with all haste, saying that he would come when our need was greatest."

"How can our need be any greater than it is now with the full force of our enemy bearing down on us?" Eorys cried.

"This is madness." Théodred, wearied from his wound and this worrying news, sat on the stone benches lining the hall. "With the bulk of our forces within Helm's Deep, our lands will be open for the taking. We lose all advantage!"

Aragorn who had ridden into the city beside the King spoke then.

"Saruman marches not for the taking of lands, but the destruction of the peoples of Rohan, most of all its lords. He will throw all his might against the walls of Helm's Deep, knowing you are within them. You have placed your trust in Gandalf before, and he has not led you astray. You must do so again."

"If that is true, then let them come!" Théodred cried, half-rising to his feet but falling back with a grimace. "Our plans were well-made and our people safe. No army can breach these walls."

Théoden passed further into the keep, giving orders that the women and children, young and old, should be taken into the caves and placed under guard there and that the weapons within the fortress should be distributed to any man who yet needed one. Théodred remained in the hall, but Eorys hurried after the King.

"And the women in the caves, my lord," she said. "They will need arms should the worst come to pass and the defenses fail."

"No," Théoden answered. "The weapons will be kept for the hands that know how to wield them."

"And if the hold is taken, should they lay down and die?" she demanded. "Are their lives worth nothing without men to defend them?"

"These actions, while well-meaning, will only frighten those who should have faith in the forces of the King."

"Surely their fear would be far greater of facing an enemy unarmed and seeing their children slaughtered! A mother endures much pain and suffering ere her child sees the light of day. How much more would she endure when they stand beside her, to protect her flesh and blood?"

"Enough!" Théoden cried, turning on her in anger. "I have granted you the reasoning of my orders out of courtesy for my son's wishes only, but my word as King is just that. Go to your place upon the wall with your men before you find it your place no longer."

Eorys drew back, subdued, and rejoined Théodred where he still sat within the hall. "I fear I have already forgotten the wisdom of your words. Ever my tongue speaks without my permission! I have been ordered to my place upon the walls, but you, my lord. Where is your place in this battle?"

"I shall remain within the Hornburg by my father's side, and if all should go ill, then I will learn what strength I have yet in my arm."

Eorys, relieved by his answer, went to the walls where her men awaited. She was joined there by Aragorn, and Legolas and Gimli also. As night fell, a black shadow came over the land. Clouds hung heavy over the moon, and no eye could see what lay before the walls. A storm gathered in the west, driving the wind across the plains. Lightning cut across the sky, illuminating the sea of enemies that crawled across the plains to the foot of Helm's Deep, and as torrents began to pour down, ten-thousand points of light sprang up as the advancing army lit their torches.

"They are more numerous than the stars," Eorys murmured, and her hands shook with fear. But she would not let her heart be moved, and she laughed in the face of the night.


	8. The Siege of Helm's Deep

The host of Saruman fell against Helm's Deep, raining arrows down upon the rows of men standing at its defense. The wave of darkness rushed against the walls and there was halted, but two rows of orcs bearing rams between them, built from the trunks of great trees, rushed forward, protected by shields held aloft. The gates shuddered and shook under the force of their assault, and the arrows and volleys of the Rohirrim glanced off the shields. Aragorn ran forth to the gates and with Gimli came at the orcs from a hidden door in the side of the fortress. Dismayed by this sudden attack and the shining sword and vicious axe of their assailants, the orcs fled, leaving behind their rams, but the forces of Saruman were only temporarily dissuaded.

The gates were weakened, and at the King's order, men rushed to build them up with stone and log, but the orcs came forward with ladders and grappling hooks, hauling themselves up upon the walls, and Eorys, who had been directing the archers, finally drew her sword.

The night dragged on as the creatures of darkness assailed the walls. For every ladder that fell, two sprang up, and the men of Rohan grew weary. While the orcs who climbed the walls had yet to taste battle, the men upon them bore the fatigue of half a night's combat. Eorys's sword grew chipped and blunted and the hilt slick with blood until it threatened to fly from her hand. The stones were slippery beneath their feet with rain and the gore of the fallen, but they threw themselves against the darkness, blocking it with sword and shield and flesh.

As they stood against the assault, a cry rang up behind them, and Eorys turned to see that a band of orcs had crept through the culvert beneath the walls and was attacking the guard that had been placed upon the horses. The attack on the gates had resumed, and Aragorn was still seeing to their defense, so calling for some of her men, Eorys rushed from the walls. The orcs were caught between her men and the guards, and they fled or fell under their blades, but as she turned back to rejoin the defenses on the walls, the mountains shook around her, throwing her to the ground, and a roar filled the air, louder than thunder.

A heavy dust gathered, but when it had cleared and she pulled herself to her feet, she saw the wall where she had been standing had been blown asunder, the debris raining down on orc and man alike. She would have run back, but Aragorn, who had been drawn by the sound of fighting within the walls, grabbed her arm.

"No, the wall is lost. We must fall back!"

"But my kin!" she cried. "They stood upon the walls. They may yet live."

Even as she spoke, a black tide of orcs surged through the breach, and the screams of those caught in their wake rang out.

"Go!" she ordered her men. "Take the horses, and fly to the keep." But she did not join them.

Throughout the battle, Théodred had remained within the citadel, sharpening his sword and listening to the sound of combat raging outside. When the crash rang out, shaking the keep around him, he leapt to his feet. Now the doors flew open, and men rushed in, bloodied and haggard, leading horses behind them.

"What has happened?" he cried, as Théoden appeared among them.

"Some devilry of Saruman! He lit a fire beneath the walls, and they are breached. The orcs swarm within the fortress."

Théodred noticed then that Eorys had not entered with the rest of the men and asked for news of her.

"She lingered, my lord," one of the men told him, collapsing against the wall in his weariness. "To hold the line while others retreated."

A cold dread settled upon him, but as the last men came through the door to the keep ere it was shut, Aragorn and Eorys appeared among them, and though her shoulder had been injured by the blow of a shield, she still held her bloodied sword tightly.

"What option is left us?" Théodred asked as they joined him and the King in council.

"No gates are secure against this assault while they carry the fury of fire with them," Aragorn said. "Even the strength of the keep will not last forever."

"If this is to be our end, then I will not die cowering in the rock!" Théoden cried. "We have horses and swords; the Rohirrim will ride."

At his command, the men who remained within the fortress mounted their horses, taking up what spears and weapons they had left. The King mounted his great white steed and took his place at the head of the host with Aragorn beside him, but when Théodred called for a horse, Eorys threw herself in front of him to prevent his mounting.

"No, my lord! It would be folly for a King and his heir to ride together to battle!"

"You would have me cower here?" Théodred cried, angered by his own idleness as the war for his lands raged around him. "What good is an heir, or a King, if he lets his kingdom crumble to save himself? I would rather die in glory and have Rohan live on than live and find that all that remains to be ruled is my own cowardice."

"The orcs are many, and defense will still be needed for those in the caves. These men may die in glory, but no such gift is given to the innocents under our protection."

Sobered by her words and the plea in her eyes, Théodred relented but was loathe to let her ride out. She clutched her arm to her chest, and he doubted she could hold reins and sword.

"If I remain, then remain with me, for no better than you understand their plight."

Eorys agreed and remained at Théodred's side, and those of her kin who still stood stayed with her, vigilant over the innocents behind them.

As the storm passed and dawn lit the sky, the gates of the Hornburg were thrown open, and the sound of horns and the calls of men shuddered off the walls of the fortress. The Riders of Rohan poured out, cutting down the orcs as they went. Eorys and Théodred stood in silence, awaiting the fate they thought lay before them, but in the distance, another horn called. Théodred threw open the doors to the keep and rushed to the inner walls to look out. As the sun rose, a great host appeared on the hill beyond the fortress and leading it were a rider dressed all in white and a tall man on a great horse.

"Eomer!" cried Théodred.

But Eorys stared in wonder at the great forest that had appeared at the foot of Helm's Deep.


	9. Blood Like Water

With a great cry that echoed off the mountains, the newly arrived host poured down to Helm's Deep with Eomer at its head. The King's forces drove through the hold, and the orcs, ensnared between the two, fell to their blades or were routed into the forest that had appeared there. The plains were at last cleared. A cheer rose up then as the light of day revealed that the siege had been weathered and the battle won.

Théodred pushed forward with Eorys and her men, cutting down any orcs who lingered within the fortress, and joined Théoden and Eomer where they stood within the breach of the wall with Gandalf and Aragorn beside them.

Théodred rushed to Eomer, embracing him heartily. "It is good to see you, cousin."

"And you. My heart has never felt so glad to see you upon your feet with a sword in your hand." He saw Eorys standing behind Théodred then and examined her curiously. "Much has changed since last I stood before the Lords of Edoras."

Calling her forward, Théodred told Eomer of her arrival in Edoras and the work of her hand at the fords.

"So this is the lady of the river?" Eomer said when he had finished. "To hear you speak of her, she was an elf maid beautiful beyond all compare."

He laughed then, for she was covered in blood and mud from the fierce rains. Eorys had given no response to his words, standing still as stone and gazing out over the hold. At his laughter, she started as if waking from a dream.

"I am lucky he knew my face all not covered in dirt and gore."

She turned then and hurried away. Théodred was puzzled by her response but more so by the thick wall of trees that had appeared outside the walls, stretching to the horizon. In the excitement of Eomer's arrival, they had gone unnoticed, but he and the men with him stared at them now in confusion.

"Dark was the hour when you returned to us, Gandalf," Théoden said. "I regretted heeding your council ere the dawn came, but now I see the hand of Gandalf the White is more powerful than I had estimated. Even the trees of the land do his bidding and come at his call!"

"This is not my doing," Gandalf said. "Though I know whose it is, and I see now the hands I set in motion were more successful than I dared hope. But for answers, we must ride to Isengard, for there I believe all will become clear."

"Then at dawn, any man who has the strength or courage shall ride with me! The might of Saruman has failed, and now he shall face the wrath of those he would have slain."

The king and the men wearied from battle returned to the keep to take rest there, but the riders who remained unwounded dispersed throughout the hold and the plains, finishing off the orcs or aiding the injured. Eorys took no rest and searched for those of her kin who had not survived the night, cleaning the blood from their faces and placing a kiss on their brows before she would let them be borne away. The bodies of the slain were placed beneath two large mounds of dirt outside the walls, and as the sun set, the people of Rohan gathered around them to pay homage to the fallen.

"Rest well, those strong of heart and arm," Théoden said. "Your courage this day will be remembered in deed and song. May your place upon the plains remind all who see it of the strength of men that can stem the tide of even the darkest hate."

He cast a handful of dirt upon the mound, and after him, the people who had gathered did the same. With bowed heads, they passed back into the hold, but as he reached the keep, Théodred noticed Eorys was not among them nor had he seen her since Eomer's arrival. He went to the caves thinking perhaps she took rest there, but none he spoke with had seen her. Passing through the city, he found her kneeling before the mounds. Her head was bent, the setting sun gleaming on her hair, and when she lifted her face, it shone with tears. When she saw him standing over her, she hid her face again in shame.

"You think me weak, mourning while greater men already plan conquest and victory."

"Only a fool would doubt the strength of your heart, but you are in need of a healer."

She yet clutched her arm, but she pulled away as he would have helped her to her feet. "Leave me! The pain of my wound is nothing compared to the ache of my heart."

"You have seen death before," he said gently.

"Not like this. Not where I have waded through their blood like water and the shrieks of the dying deafen me! The stench of it… I would have given my life to spare theirs, to save them from this suffering. But they are gone, and I remain, and I find no comfort in the glory of their passing."

He saw then that other women had emerged from the hold, bringing cloaks and swords and helms to lay upon the mound, and the night around them filled with the sounds of sorrow.

"We are lords of war," he said quietly. "But even lords of war forget. We are deaf to the cries of mourning, seeing only what is saved and not what is lost. You honor them with your grief."

Eorys bent her head and wept, speaking the names of her kin who had fallen, committing them to the land. Through the night she made vigil beside the tombs, and Théodred sat in silence beside her. Often as she wept, grief laying heavily over her, he would reach his hand for hers only to draw it back again. When dawn came, she arose, drying her face, and he arose with her, returning into the hold.


	10. A Night of Joy

At dawn, Théoden and his company rode for Isengard, but Théodred and Eorys remained behind to begin the slow return to Edoras. Théodred left men to repair the damage to the walls and other defenses, but he himself was eager to return to the freedom of the plains and the great hall. So at his order, the peoples of Rohan gathered what provisions they had left and bearing the wounded among them, set out from Helm's Deep back to their homes.

The forest still stood outside the walls, and the only passage back to Edoras lay under its dark branches. The trees seemed frozen and brooding as the travelers found paths among them. Silence hung thick in the air, and none who passed under its eaves dared speak until they stepped again out onto the plains, but when they saw the sweeping expanses stretch out before them, joy filled their hearts and they started forward with renewed purpose.

Eorys's shoulder had been tended, and her arm placed in a sling, and though Théodred's side was mending, it pained him still at times and he had overworked it during the final moments of the battle. Together, they rode slowly at the head of the line, in silence at first, but the darkness of battle lifted from their hearts and Eowyn joined them often, so they laughed and talked as they went.

For three days, they made their way across the plains, and on the fourth, Meduseld came into view, its golden pillars shining in the sun. A cheer rose up among the people. The colds of winter were beginning to settle over the lands, and they rejoiced to see their home.

Théodred at once began strengthening the defenses of the plains, sending out hosts of men to escort travelers and ensure that no bands of orcs were roaming unchecked. Others he sent east to secure the borders, but at his order, Eorys remained in Meduseld with her men. At Eowyn's urging, a great feast to celebrate the King's return was organized, and when his host appeared on the horizon, the people eagerly awaited his arrival into the city. But Théoden's face was dark and troubled when he dismounted outside of Meduseld where Théodred, Eowyn, and Eorys awaited his arrival.

"What has happened?" Théodred asked. "And why is Gandalf again not among you?"

"Another errand of great haste has led him away," Aragorn answered. "But there is some small comfort in the knowledge that his leaving does not precede an invasion against your lands, at least not in these days."

"And what of Saruman and Isengard?"

"Isengard lies wasted," Théoden said. "The power of Saruman dwindles, though he remains cowering in his tower. He will worry us no more, but a far darker shadow has appeared. A Nazgul came upon us in the night, and Gandalf rode with all haste to the south and east. For by some devilry, a vision of Gondor has been granted us, sieged and burning."

"Foolishness more than devilry, I fear" a small voice sighed, and Eorys stared with amazement at the halfling that had dismounted from beside Aragorn.

"An elf, a dwarf, and a wizard I have seen since I came to Edoras," she murmured. "But the wonders of Middle Earth never cease."

"War is brewing in the East," Théoden continued. "The threat of Sauron grows ever more present, and I fear the battle of Helm's Deep was only the beginning of the trials we shall face."

"Be that as it may, let our people have some joy this night!" Eowyn cried. "We have prepared a feast for your arrival, and all have awaited it eagerly. They have come through darkness and their hearts already carry enough sorrow. One night, and they can face whatever lies before us with renewed strength."

Théoden smiled and took her face in his hands. "You speak with the wisdom of youth," he said, kissing her forehead. "Very well. I will not stand in the way of your designs. Let this be a night of joy."

All was prepared, and as the sun set, the hall filled with loud voices and laughter and the smell of meat roasting over spits. Eorys was passing into the hall to join the celebration when she noticed Eowyn speaking earnestly with Aragorn at the edge of the room. She laid her hand on his arm, but he gently removed it, bowing to her before striding out into the night, and Eowyn stood frozen as if he had struck her. Eorys rushed to her side.

"Eowyn, what has happened?"

But Eowyn wouldn't speak and fled from the hall, and Eorys would have followed, but her kin appeared behind her, pulling her into the crowds. Riders and residents gathered, calling out the names of the fallen and the heroic, raising their flagons in honor of their brethren, and the sounds of celebration echoed through the city. Eorys, overwhelmed by the swirling throngs, fought her way to the edge of the hall where she saw Théodred sitting with the halfling who had arrived with the host that morning.

"My lord! Should you not be among the revelers instead of sitting here in the shadows? Already I have heard them calling your name in praise and honor."

"It is the ale more than my part in the battle that has loosed their tongues," he laughed. "If you wish, join us. Master Meriadoc here was telling me of his journeys, and I believe your paths may have crossed once before."

Indeed, Merry (as he was called by his friends) with his companion Pippin had been taken captive by the same band of orcs that Eorys and her men had slaughtered on the plains, allowing the halflings' escape into the eaves of Fangorn. Eorys listened, enthralled, as he told them tales of elven cities, of wizards and trees that spoke and walked at will, and of the destruction of Isengard at the hand of the Ents. Théodred took joy in her wonder, his gaze lingering on her often through the night, and he remained beside her long after Merry's tales had finished and the moon had risen high in the sky.


	11. A Mighty Gift

The sun shone down on the plains of Rohan, and Théodred, at least feeling his full strength return, longed to ride freely across them again. When he came to the stables to fetch Brego, Eorys was there also, and he urged her to join him. She seemed reluctant and asked first of Eowyn, but when he told her that she has with her brother and uncle, Eorys agreed. Together, they rode, shunning the roads for the rolling hills and soft grasses of the plains. Théodred laughed as Brego pulled fiercely on the reins, tossing his head.

"He has missed the open plains as much as I." He drew a deep breath of the biting winter air. "The rush of the wind. The freedom of the open land. Surely there is nothing more glorious!"

"Then ride, my lord," Eorys said. "He should be let to run free, and I wish to see the glory of the lord of all horses."

Théodred loosed the reins, and they sprang forward as one. As he flew across the plains, the sun glistening on his golden hair, her heart quickened within her. Her admiration of him had deepened beyond her understanding. Surely no man in the whole of Rohan could be more noble of aspect or great in stature, but she hid these thoughts in her heart, revealing them not even to Eowyn. He was ten years her elder, and while he was a lord of men, she in her own estimation was little more than a daughter of lesser lords. She feared he saw her only as an older brother looks upon a child, for he treated Eowyn with equal care, and she could not bear his pity or amusement if he knew her thoughts. She forced her gaze away to the mountains, wishing her heart would steady.

"Why do you not give your mount her head?" he asked as he returned to ride by her side.

"She is old," Eorys sighed, stroking the white neck. "Far older than a warhorse should be, but I have no other. She was my father's and has served me well, but she has long since deserved a retirement I fear I cannot give her."

"I am sure your father would be glad to know you care for each other still."

But Eorys laughed bitterly. "My father had no great love for me. My mother fell ill with fever after my birth and passed in the harshness of winter. I am told he cursed me, blaming me for her death and leaving him with no heirs, and I was given to the care of his second's wife who had lost her babe."

"Was it she who taught you to fight?"

"No," Eorys laughed. "She had no skill in battle, though she was strong of spirit. Her husband brought her back from one of the northern tribes, and she had little obligation to the rules of our lands. She told me, 'The womb may enjoy its tricks, but it cannot thin your blood.' It was at her urging that her husband trained me, though in secrecy from my father. I owe her a great debt for that and for her love, such as could be given to a child that was not her own. She was the only mother I have known."

Théodred gazed out over the distant mountains. "For that, I would say you are lucky. I never knew my mother's face, though I am told she was beautiful. My birth was the cause of her death, and my father will not suffer her name to be spoken."

"How sad," Eorys said, her voice subdued. "To be so utterly forgotten. Men who fall in battle are celebrated for their sacrifice, but women who die in great suffering for the sake of their kin are pushed from memory for the pain it causes others."

Théodred pondered this in silence, and when they returned to the city, he went to his mother's tomb and sat there among the Simbelmynë until the sun sank below the horizon.

On the next day, he called Eorys to the stables, and taking a chestnut mare out from her stall, led her out into the sun where her coat glistened gold in the light.

"This is Araleth," he said. "Her sires have been numbered among the first mounts to carry our forefathers into Calenardhon." He pressed the lead rope into Eorys's hands. "May she serve you well."

Eorys stood speechless, for such a gift from the King's stable was an honor reserved only for those who served Rohan with deeds of great might or bravery. "My lord, I… cannot think what I have done to deserve this."

Théodred stroked Araleth's golden neck. "I had intended her for Brego, but she should be out upon the plains under the care of a worthy rider. She has always been spirited, and I see now that shutting her away in a dingy stable would be unforgivable."

"Perhaps when the battles are over and the war won, she could return here," Eorys said softly. "If any could win her favor, it would be the lord of horses."

She turned quickly then and led Araleth away to be stabled with the rest of the horses from her Eored. When she took her father's horse out onto the plains to be freed, as was the custom for all warhorses that had earned their freedom, Théodred went with her. Eorys pulled the halter from her head, kissing her velvety nose. "Be free, be safe. I will never forgive you if I find you survived countless battles only to be devoured by wolves."

Her horse wandered away only to stop and graze contentedly.

"All the freedom of the plains to run, and you think only of your stomach!" Eorys cried. "Go!" She waved the rope, and the mare turned and ran across the plains, lifting her tail like a banner on the breeze as she went.

"I have amused you," Eorys sighed when she turned to see Théodred smiling.

"I have spent many hours speaking to Brego," he laughed. "Though I pray you keep that secret between us. He says little in response, but he is a worthy listener. Fear not, she will find a place among the wild bands that roam these lands."

They stood together until the white horse disappeared across the plains.


	12. Peril in the East

It soon became known to all that Eorys, Captain of the Northern Eored, rode a horse from the King's stable, given her by the heir himself, and wild speculation raged through the city. When Théoden heard of this, he was furious and called Théodred to his chambers to speak with him, but Théodred was unmoved, refusing to take back that which was freely given.

"Do you intend to wed her?" Théoden demanded. "For such a gift given without intention is poorly given indeed."

Théodred refused to answer, still not willing to admit even to himself what he knew to be true in his heart. Perceiving his silence, Théoden softened his voice and spoke long of policies and alliances and the wisdom of marrying outside the borders of their lands in such dangerous days, but in his heart, he feared for his son. Théoden had married for love, but she had died young and in great pain, and this wounded him still.

"It is time you turned your mind from the plains to the tending of your house," Théoden urged.

But Théodred gave no response. When he came out from the King's chambers, he saw Eowyn and Eorys sitting in the hall of Meduseld speaking earnestly, and he watched them long from the shadows before he moved to join them. When they saw him approaching, they leaned together, lowering their voices so he might not hear their words. Eomer, who was in the hall also, came to sit beside Théodred and laughed when he saw them.

"Tell me, of what do the maidens of Rohan hold such solemn council? Have you yet devised a plan to overthrow Sauron?"

"If we had, you would not heed our words, and your foolish pride would be the downfall of all free men," Eorys snapped, irritated by his interruption and teasing.

Eomer was not amused, frowning deeper still when Théodred could not contain his laughter. But Théodred noticed that Eowyn sat pale and silent. Troubled, he would have spoken with her, but loud voices rang out, and the doors to the hall burst open. A messenger, breathless and stained from travel, hastened inside, calling for the King.

"The beacon!" he cried. "The beacon of Halifirien is lit. Smoke rises from the mountaintop!"

All eyes turn to the King as he came forward. "Is Anorien under assault?"

"No, my lord. The borders remain secure."

"Perhaps Gondor is sending warning of an advancing army," Eomer said.

"Or it is as we feared, and Sauron has started his assault on the free lands." Théoden sighed. "But then why have they not sent the red arrow? Where is Aragorn? I need his council."

"He is gone," Eowyn said bitterly, clutching at the hand Eorys laid on her arm. "He left the eve of the feast."

"Why have you not spoken of this sooner?" Eomer cried. "Where has he gone?"

"Your sister is not your messenger," Eorys snapped. "And his leaving was of little enough notice to you." She took a deep breath before continuing. "He rode for the Paths of the Dead on an urgent errand."

"This is foul news indeed," Théodred sighed. "If not for the visions granted us by Gandalf, I would feel no great sense of urgency, but the peril in the East can no longer be ignored. We shall honor the vows of Cirion and Eorl. I turn my seat in Meduseld over to my son, and we shall see what dangers Gondor holds for the Rohirrim."

"No," Théodred said, pulling himself to his feet. "If you go to war, I shall not remain behind."

Eomer lay a hand on his shoulder. "None doubt your valor, cousin, but there is no wisdom in leaving Rohan without rule."

"I will no longer sit idly by while the fate of Middle Earth, my home, hangs in the balance," Théodred said, shrugging him off. "I shall fight for its fate with the strength of my arm and my steel. If the darkness of Sauron is not stemmed, there shall be no Rohan to rule!"

"And if Gondor falls, who shall fortify our lands and lead the armies to the defense of our borders?" Eomer protested.

"If Gondor falls…" Théoden laughed bitterly. "If Gondor falls, then hope is lost for any that remain. Send out riders to the farthest reaches. Call what men you find there to their king. In three days, we ride."

Eomer hurried from the hall to do the King's bidding.

Théoden turned to his son, taking Théodred's face in his hands. "Eomer speaks with wisdom. You are the last of our line, my son. The years of my life hang over me, but you are the future of Rohan. Remember my words and take your place here."

Seeing that his father spoke of marriage, Théodred pulled away and withdrew from the hall, drawing in deep breaths of the cool evening air. He sat long in thought as the sun drifted below the horizon. When he looked up, Eorys stood framed against the dying rays, watching him.

"I know not what council I can give," she said, sitting next to him. "But whatever wisdom I might possess is yours for the asking."

"I know what my father would wish of me," he said, gazing out over the city. "But I see no wisdom in it! The upholding of tradition in the face of destruction is folly. How can I turn from the path I know in my heart to be right?"

"Do not! Your father would wish you to become a king, but does not a king set his own path? You have won the loyalty of your men, of those who would follow you into battle and beyond, by the strength of your heart, and I would not have you doubt it. Trust your wisdom as I do."

Hearing her words, Théodred returned to the hall and placed himself before Théoden. "If you wish our blood to remain here at Meduseld, then I name Eowyn as my hand, to rule until we return home or our blood waters the land. There is no order you can give to dissuade me, father. No Son of Eorl will suffer another to die in his place."

"Those in the hall were stirred by the determination in his words and the might of their heir, but Théoden saw that Eorys had come into the hall at Théodred's side and smiled as he spoke, and he was troubled.


	13. Kindred

For three days, riders trickled across the plains, answering the summons of their king, and Edoras swelled with voices and the call of horses and the clanging of the blacksmith's hammer. On the dawn of the fourth day, the riders mounted, and the clear ringing of horns echoed off the walls of the city.

Théodred, after gathering his belongings for the journey, was departing from Meduseld when he saw Eorys standing pensively in the hall.

"Should you not be with your men?" he asked. "We depart ere the sun lifts from the horizon."

"I seek Lady Eowyn," Eorys answered. "I wished to bid her farewell, but I cannot find her, and none have seen her."

"There is much to attend to in her new place, I am sure. She will understand. Come now; a long road lies before us."

With a parting glance at the hall, Eorys followed Théodred out into the growing light of day. The streets of Edoras overflowed with horses and riders and those who had come to bid them farewell. The great host made its way out of the city. The king went first, and behind the golden helm, followed his company. Then Théodred lifted his spear, leading out his men, and among them was Eorys astride Araleth with her Eored beside her. And behind followed Eomer and his men.

Onward the Rohirrim rode, six-thousand strong, ever following the green line of the river on their left, and the ground behind them lay marred and pitted from the feet of many horses. They made camp that night at the fork in the river where the Snowbourne flowed into the Entwash. No tents were pitched, for they traveled light, and the riders wrapped themselves in cloaks and blankets, huddling next to fires against the chill wind blowing across the plains.

Eorys finished tending to Araleth as the last lingering light of day disappeared, and sore and tired from the day's ride, turned eagerly to sleep, but a rider grabbed her arm, pulling her into the shadows of the picketed horses. Eorys, seeing that it was not one of her men, yanked away.

"Keep your hands to yourself if you cherish them!" she said angrily, turning back toward the camp.

The rider hastily removed their helm.

"Please," Eowyn whispered, her golden hair tumbling over her shoulders. "Quiet, lest someone hear you."

Eorys stood in shock. "My lady, why are you here?"

"I have come to fight and brought Merry with me also, though the King wished him to remain. You shall not march alone."

"What of your people and the defense of your lands?" Eorys cried. "You have left them leaderless!"

Eowyn's face darkened in anger. "Do you think me a fool? I have ensured the hall will not stand empty. Elfhelm has taken my place."

"Elfhelm?!" Eorys cried, ignoring Eowyn's pleas for her silence. "You would give to a petulant child the throne where men should sit?! If Théodred had wished for Elfhelm to take his place, he would have made it so! This is not what your cousin would have wished."

"He would not wish you to march to war either if he could stop it, but he does not make our choices, you and I!" Eorys was confused by her words, but Eowyn clasped her hands. "Long has the call of the horn and the glitter of the helm in the sun stirred my heart, but I have been imprisoned by the fate of my birth. Now the time of wars and valor is upon us, and I will not be left behind. Would you do any less?"

"I would do as my lord asked for the good of the people, but it was not my hand he requested. Go back! I beg you!"

But Eowyn drew back, her eyes cold.

"I will not."

Replacing her helm, she disappeared into the shadows. Eorys slept little that night, tossing on the hard ground as the weight of Eowyn's presence among the host and Rohan's safety pressed upon her.

For three more days, they followed the banks of the Entwash, heading ever east. A shadow grew in the sky, casting the land in darkness, and the blackness over Eorys's heart grew with it, torn between her love for Théodred, and her belief in his wisdom, and her love for Eowyn as a sister. Each night she pleaded with her to return to Edoras, but Eowyn only turned a deaf ear. On the fourth day, riders came bringing word that forces from Mordor were crossing the Eastern borders. Eorys, her anger overflowing, strode through the camp until she found the thin rider and the small armored figure beside her.

"Go!" she said, throwing Eowyn's pack to her. "You need not seek out battle; it already lies within your lands. And I will not stand by as the blood of Rohan is spilled by your foolishness."

"You do not give me orders," Eowyn said, drawing herself up. "My blood is the blood of Eorl. I only told you of my presence out of our friendship and because I believed us to be kindred."

"This is madness, Eowyn! You know nothing of me if you think I would support this!"

"Will you tell him then? And betray my trust, sister?"

Eorys stood silent, her heart twisting within her. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet.

"I… will keep your secret, but I do so unwillingly. I rue the blood that will stain our hands from this, and I only hope when the day comes, and all is brought to light, that he will find it in his heart to forgive me."

She turned then and hurried away, unable to look at Eowyn any longer. Théodred found her at the edge of camp that night. She sat with her head in her hands and would not look at him, and though he sat with her and begged her to tell him the cause of her distress, she remained silent.


	14. The Folly of All Great Men

The Rohirrim continued their journey east at dawn but stopped again before the eaves of the Druadan forest. The scouts sent to bring tidings of the road ahead had not returned, and they were uneasy to ride on blind to what lay before them. As they took council, a rider burst out from the trees, his clothing tattered and his horse flecked with foam. His hair was dark, and though he wore attire for travel, a clasp engraved with a silver tree secured his cloak. Those who saw him recognized him as a son of Gondor. He drew up his mount, looking with wonder upon the great host gathered there, before calling out for an audience with the leader of the company.

When he was taken before the king, he dropped to one knee, holding aloft a red arrow.

"My lord, I bring tidings from Denethor, Steward of Gondor. A great host has come upon the city, and we lay besieged. I was sent with my kinsman to seek the aid of Rohan. Are they among you?"

"No," Théoden answered, turning the arrow over in his hands. "It was only by the council of Gandalf and the smoke of the beacons touching the sky that we have made haste here. And I see now our plans were well made."

The messenger pulled himself to his feet, weariness laying heavily upon him. "It is as I feared then, and they have fallen. The road ahead lies thick with orcs and snares, and I barely survived. If you continue this way, you will be delayed, perhaps at the cost of all men."

Upon hearing this, the King gave orders for the road to be abandoned, and the Rohirrim turned aside and entered the Druadan forest, heading south toward the White Mountains. The forest grew dense, and the paths became so choked with underbrush that the riders were forced to dismount and lead their horses. Upon reaching the foot of the mountains, their path again turned east, skirting the rocky wall to stay as far from the road as they could. Long after the sun had set, they moved on in tense silence. The urgency of their journey was now clear, and they moved with renewed purpose, but the way was slow. The shadow of Sauron blocked out even the light of the moon, and no torches could be lit for fear of unfriendly eyes.

At last, the forest thinned, and the host made camp less than a day's ride from Gondor and battle. Despite his fatigue, Théoden could find no rest and left his bed. Passing through the camp, he saw Théodred sitting at Eorys's feet, his gaze fixed on her face, and his heart was again troubled. Eorys was only a child in his eyes, proud and impetuous, and he called Théodred to him.

"We are on the eve of battle, and your men look to you. There are greater concerns to be tended than a pretty face."

"If you have work for me, Father, merely speak of it and it shall be done. If not, I shall spend these last moments of peace how I choose."

Théodred turned to leave, but Théoden took his face in his hands.

"We march to war, to death, my son, pride of my heart, and even her life is not sacred. I fear what shall befall you if you are distracted by her fate on the battlefield. How much greater can a man's strength be in battle when he stands between the darkness and those he loves? If you love her as I perceive you do, send her away."

But Théodred refused to bring shame upon her. She was as wild to him as the horses that ran free on the plains and brought him as much joy, and he knew she would never forgive him if he set his will against her.

"Women are the folly of all great men," Théoden cried, angered by Théodred's refusal. "Warriors who pass through shadows and war and death made fools by their own desires!"

Théodred drew back, confused by his father's sudden wrath. "Am I a leader of men or a child? For you scold me like one. I am not blind to this war or the cost of it. I have fought it long while you lingered in shadow."

"If there is any failing, it is my own," Théoden sighed. "I took pride in the independence of my son and his joy in riding over our lands, but I see now that I have set you upon a path of unhappiness and blindness to the duties of a king, and our blood has stilled. If only I had found for you a woman of worth in your youth, this pain would have been avoided."

"Is my youth so far gone that all I am worth is judged by the size of my house?" Théodred said, outraged at his words and his heart growing cold at his father's continual scorn of Eorys. "It has been long since I needed your advice, Father, and I would sooner follow the council of my heart than that of those who would set my path before me."

Turning, he strode away. He resolved then to tell Eorys of his love that night before battle came upon them. But when he found her and she turned her face up to him, the light of the fire dancing upon it, all words left him. His early years had been spent caring for his cousins, and his life since had been consumed with the defense of his lands. In matters of the heart, he had no experience, and any words he could find, he was loathe to speak for the stupidity of them. So saying nothing, he nodded and took his leave.

Eorys was confused by his silence but assumed he was sobered by the gravity of the battle that lay before them, for it weighed on her heart also. Late into the night, she sat by the fire, sharpening her sword and thinking of the battle ahead. The darkness Saruman had spread paled in comparison with the pouring out of the black heart of Mordor. And when they crested the hills over the fields of Pelennor on the following day, as she feared, a host unlike any they had yet seen lay entrenched around Gondor, and the land was black with their enemies.


End file.
